All right…I’m a little too excited today. Could be hysteria from the lack of sleep. Could be the copious amounts of caffeine I have in my system. Who knows? Who cares? When we’re happy we have a duty to ourselves to just enjoy it, right?

Yep, kind of like that.

Why am I happy? You ask.

Well, let me tell you…

I am now revising the last 25% of my book. Yes, that’s right folks. That means if the stars align and the universe continues to smile on me, I might actually be finished next week. Exciting for me, though I’m sure most of you don’t care.

Yet.

Who would about a novel they haven’t read?

But you know how when you’re excited, it’s just not the same unless everyone around you is excited too? As my husband is tired of doing backflips for me, I desperately need others to share in the celebration to give him a break.

Which means…

…you guessed it: I added to Character Corner.

Since Sara’s was a little sparser than Jacob’s, I’ve included a fewpictures I used for inspiration, and ashort playlistthat never fails to get me into Sara’s mindset. It’s not much, I know. But I promise to continue to post more at the end of each week, so keep checking back for further glimpses into the lives that have consumed mine for the last year.

So we’re clear, my daughter is who I aspire to be when I grow up. She’s everything good and kind and just plain wonderful in this world.

She just also happens to be very adept at torture. And she knows exactly how to bring me to my knees.

After 5 days of no more than 2 hours of sleep a night I’m ready to concede to her every demand. Except the only thing she wants is more party time with Mommy. And who can refuse such an adorable little face?

See, I told you…she’s a sadist.

Fed by my begging, she smiles wider with each of my yawns, giggles more hysterical at my every groaned plea.

Somewhere on Day 2 my brain shut off.

Completely.

As if words now have to traverse my entire body, each one making the trek through my veins alone, before they can individually spill out onto the page.

Recently, I took three weeks off in the hopes things would flow quickly again, and it worked. I sped my way through fifteen chapters.

Then life happened in the form of my 5 year old.

(Yes, I’m aware this is a current theme on my blog. But I have a love affair with sleep. Something so great not even my husband’s masterful attention can tear me away from its clutches. Seehere andhereif you don’t believe me.

Would you like some cheese to go with the whine I’m serving?)

Now in all fairness to my daughter, it’s not her fault. She’s had sleep issues since birth that seem to go hand in hand with her diagnosis. But it doesn’t change the fact that I’ve been unable to string more than a few coherent sentences together at a time.

Which for a writer is more a little frustrating.

Correction: a lot frustrating.

Okay, who am I kidding? It sucks monkey balls.

I’m so close to finishing my novel, yet it still feels so far out of reach.

And each day that passes the more I ask…

…will this ever end?

Depending on the night it’s a toss-up whether I mean the sleeplessness or my book.

Because I can’t seem to engage my brain today to do anything intellectually worthwhile on my end, I thought I’d post a few things that might stimulate a story for my followers who are writers (who hopefully have enjoyed more than the two hours of sleep I was blessed with last night). So here goes…pick a prompt, any prompt (of the few below I’ve provided of course). Write a short story, poem, flash fiction piece. Comment with a link to your blog or website where it’s posted once it’s done. Easy peasy. That way we both feel productive, and I don’t really have to do anything 🙂 (Oh, and the one I like the best, I will reblog and post on twitter.)

Dialogue prompt:

“No, no. I can’t.”

“You have to.”

“It’s too much. He’ll expect—”

“It’s everything. And you’ll give him whatever he wants for it.”

Character prompt:

She isn’t lonely in the traditional sense. She has a dream, plans, a career that fills her, fulfills her, and a loving family that although far from perfect, supports the future she’s building for them. But something’s missing and she can’t figure out what. She only knows it’s enough to wake her in a cold sweat at night, more lately than she’d like to admit. Sensing disquiet, her significant other sends her away for a weekend retreat. Rest and relaxation in a cabin that’d been in her family for decades seemed ideal. Until she arrived.

There are just so many possibilities withthis, I’d rather see where others take it than give direction.

Now just because I have defied laziness today with my blog post, don’t think I’ve forgotten about all of my non-writer followers…just for you, not only can you read my creation from these promptshere, but I’ve also added a few extra teasers to my site. New, under Character Corner from the top menu, you’ll find juicy glimpses into the minds of Sara and Jacob. Anything from interviews, to journal entries, to real time moments in the characters’ lives, prior to when Morrow’s Horizon takes place. Admittedly it is a sparse corner at the moment…you do know how I love to tease…